Idris Elba will headline the Africa Cinema Summit in Ghana

EXCLUSIVE: Idris Elba has signed on to headline the National Film Authority of Ghana's second annual Africa Cinema Summit, to be held in Accra from October 7-10.

Elba, a Golden Globe winner and chairwoman of IE7 and The Akuna Group, will be joined by former Netflix executive and Juno Studios co-founder Fiona Lamptey and Andrew Kofi Egyapa Mercer, Ghana's Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Top of the price list supports culture. Scroll down for the complete speaker setup.

The summit will once again take place at the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra. The theme is “The Relevance of Cinema in African Communities.” Organizers said speakers will discuss the current surge in local content production and consumption, how to advocate for cinema investment and how to redesign the cinema experience for Africa's underserved, low-income audiences.

Representatives from African countries such as Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda and Angola will attend, along with leaders from across the African diaspora and representatives from investment organizations such as Afreximbank and IFC.

“Africa has been at the forefront of communication and storytelling for centuries, but unfortunately this innovation and the complex stories emerging on the continent have gone largely unnoticed,” Elba said in a statement to Deadline this afternoon.

“That’s why I’m thrilled to be part of this year’s Africa Cinema Summit, which will focus on how Africans on the continent and in the diaspora are taking the cinema and content ecosystem to new levels and bringing global awareness to our empires can convey a dynamic, youthful and lively Africa.”

The Africa Cinema Summit is organized by National Film Authority executives Tim Yaw Struthers, Moses Babatope and Funmi Onuma in collaboration with Nile Media Entertainment Group and Silverbird Cinemas. Last year's inaugural summit was attended by representatives from 20 African countries. The discussion focused on exploring and adapting cinematic possibilities to suit the unique characteristics of each geographical location on the continent. The meeting brought numerous strategic benefits for the regional industry. Ghana's President Nana Akufo-Addo promised to approve a tax incentive for the Ghanaian film industry. The credit was officially passed as a 20% tax refund a few months later. We announced the news here.

“The only way to expand local content and expand cinema offerings on the African continent is through collaboration,” Juliet Yaa Asantewa Asante, CEO of the National Film Authority of Ghana, told us. “The sector remains resilient and local content is being increased in countries like Nigeria to fill content gaps.” The continent has the largest potential market growth for cinema and our work is to make this potential a reality for the benefit of African communities let. I look forward to welcoming our valued guests to Accra, Ghana.”

Africa Cinema Summit Speaker Lineup: